County Council Highlights for Feb. 15, 2023

Warden Urges Residents to Get Involved in County’s First Strategic Plan

The County of Essex is developing its first-ever Strategic Plan and Warden Hilda MacDonald is urging residents to “stay tuned and get engaged in creating our vision for the future.”

If the county is to achieve its potential, it needs a clear vision of where it stands and where it is going, she said.

“The strategic plan will articulate our overarching vision for the County of Essex. It will set out short-term and long-term goals. It will include strategies for achieving these goals and mechanisms to measure their progress.”

On Feb. 3, the county issued a request for proposals for experts who can assist council and administration in creating a strategic plan that sets targets for where Essex County should be in five, 10 and 25 years.

Invest WindsorEssex Updates Council on its Efforts

Invest WindsorEssex president and CEO Stephen MacKenzie gave council an overview of the economic development agency’s work over the past year.

Invest WindsorEssex, which is funded by the County of Essex and City of Windsor, facilitated $8 billion in new investment in the region in 2022, MacKenzie said in his presentation. Highlights included the construction launch of the NextStar Energy Inc. electric vehicle battery plant, the announcement by Stellantis of two new electrified vehicle platforms for the Windsor Assembly Plant and DongShin Motech Ltd.’s decision to invest $90 million in a new battery casing factory to supply the NextStar Energy plant.

The $5 billion NextStar Energy investment is expected to create 2,500 direct jobs, 2,530 direct supply chain jobs, 918 indirect jobs and another 3,275 induced jobs in services required to support that work, MacKenzie said. He urged municipalities to be ready by having available fully-serviced or readily serviceable land for which environmental and archaeological assessments have been completed.

MacKenzie also highlighted Invest WindsorEssex’s Automobility and Innovation department, which was created in 2017 and is fully funded by the provincial and federal governments. To date, it has secured $16 million in government funding to support the regional economy’s transition to electric vehicle production and other aspects of automobility.

The Invest WindsorEssex Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre dispersed $700,000 in program and grant funding in Essex County in 2022. It also helped facilitate 30 business expansions, 55 start ups and153 new jobs. It provided 380 consultations, worked with 60 grant recipients, made 712 outreach efforts and welcomed 600 workshop participants from Essex County.

The agency also provides support to businesses of all sizes in Essex County. Since the start of 2022, it has supported 11 county client businesses, which have announced expansions of over $90 million that will create 285 new jobs.

Municipalities Concerned about the Cost of Ontario’s More Homes Built Faster Act

Council voted to have the warden send a letter to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark calling on the province to create a municipal reimbursement fund to compensate the County of Essex and local municipalities for the financial impact of Bill 23.

The letter will also ask the government to pause the implementation of Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, to address the concerns of municipalities and other key stakeholders. The bill, which received royal assent Nov. 28, makes changes to the Planning Act, the Development Charges Act, the Ontario Land Tribunal Act, the Conservation Authorities Act and other legislation that the provincial government says will help facilitate the creation of 1.5 million new dwelling units by 2031.

Council voted to send a letter to the minister after receiving an administrative report about the impact Bill 23 will have on the County of Essex and local municipalities from Rebecca Belanger, manager, planning services. Many details about how the changes will be implemented are still unknown, creating concerns that municipal taxpayers will have to cover the costs.

“The financial challenges created by Bill 23 are significant,” says Belanger’s report. “Revenue streams, parkland contributions, resources, and the ability to fund growth-related studies are negatively impacted.”

One example is that due to the changes to the Conservation Authorities Act, the Essex Region Conservation Authority will be limited in how it can assist municipalities in reviewing their stormwater management plans, says the report. “This change will likely place additional costs and time on developers for municipalities to obtain peer reviews by a limited number of engineering consultants in the Essex County area.”

Warden MacDonald and Deputy Warden Joe Bachetti are to meet with local MPPs next week to discuss the county’s concerns.

Sun Parlor Home’s Declaration of Compliance Authorized

Council authorized the execution of a declaration of compliance indicating that, to the best of their knowledge and belief, Sun Parlor Home fulfilled its obligations under its Service Accountability Agreement with the Ministry of Health in 2022.

Council Informed about Cost Sharing Agreement for County Road 42 Construction

The County of Essex has executed a formal cost sharing agreement with the Town of Tecumseh for the installation of sanitary sewers and a water main along County Road 42.

The work is part of Phase 1 of the county’s multi-year project to increase road capacity, build roundabouts, and construct bicycle lanes, sidewalks and multi-use trails along County Road 42 and County Road 43 between County Road 19 and the City of Windsor. Tecumseh asked the county to include the sanitary sewers and water mains in Phase 1 with the town agreeing to cover the cost, estimated to be $6 million.

This type of request by local municipalities is common and has traditionally been handled informally, says a report to council by Allan Botham, Director, Infrastructure and Planning Services. “However, the costs for infrastructure projects continue to increase, and the cost splits between the County and local municipalities are increasingly becoming very significant. Further, with the possibility for staff turnover, the County has determined that the best practice going forward is to have a standard Cost Sharing Agreement in place to properly document what was agreed to.”

Billing Fee Added to Cost of Damaging County Property with a Vehicle

The county is adding an administrative fee of $150 per bill when it sends out invoices to recover the cost of damage to County of Essex property caused by motor vehicle accidents. The new fee is the only change to the county’s fees and charges in 2023.

Essex-Windsor EMS to Purchase 7 New Ambulances in 2023

County council authorized Essex-Windsor EMS to proceed with the purchase of seven replacement ambulances. The cost of the Crestline Coach Ltd. ambulances, including modifications, warranties and shipping, is $1.7 million plus HST. The cost per ambulance has increased 18.3 per cent due to price increases for components and shipping, says a report to council. The ambulances are expected to arrive in late 2023 or early 2024.

Committee Membership Switch Approved

Kingsville Deputy Mayor Kim DeYong has been appointed to the Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee, replacing Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy. Bondy, in turn, will replace DeYong on the Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation board.

Non-union Staff Salaries Adjusted for Inflation

Council approved a 1.75-per-cent inflationary adjustment to wages for non-union County of Essex employees. The increase goes into effect as of Jan. 1, 2023.